EARLIER: The disappointing season-opening three-game losing streak is
behind New York and the end of a brutal seven-game road trip is now in sight.

The Blueshirts picked up wins over the Vancouver Canucks and
Calgary Flames this week in dramatic fashion and now must only stop in Edmonton
and Winnipeg before returning to the revamped Madison Square Garden next week
for a six-game homestand.

New York was tested with some mighty foes to start the year,
but if the Rangers play well there’s no reason they can’t return home next week
with two more wins.

Edmonton finished dead last in the NHL the last two seasons,
but got off to a decent start this year before losing its last two games.

On Thursday night while Ryan McDonagh was scoring a game-winner
for the Rangers with just under two seconds left in overtime, Dany Heatley was
scoring for the Minnesota Wild to force overtime with the Oilers, where
Edmonton eventually fell in the shootout.

The Oilers uncharacteristically ranks third in goals against
and seventh on the penalty kill, but those early season stats shouldn’t make
anyone mistake Edmonton for a strong defensive club.

The duo of Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk has given up
just 10 goals in six games, but those same netminders gave up the second-most
goals in the NHL last season.

The Oilers are a rebuilding team led by 2011 first-overall
pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and 2010 first-overall pick Taylor Hall, but they’re
far from being a playoff contender.

The Blueshirts are slowly coming together and if the team
can come closer to putting together a 60-minute effort, New York should be able
to score some goals on former Coach Tom Renney’s club.

Martin Biron is very likely to make his first start of the
season for the Rangers, so the team might focus even more on protecting its
defensive zone than usual.

However, Edmonton will have to come up with an answer for
the top-line of Derek Stepan/Brad Richards/Marian Gaborik, which has been
electric at times over the last week.Gaborik recorded a hat trick during New York’s 8-2 thrashing of the
Oilers last November, so stopping him will be Edmonton’s top priority.

It wouldn’t be surprising if New York has trouble getting
revved up for an early-season road game against a weak opponent, but these are
two points that the Rangers should be able to snatch up.

The end of a tumultuous October is in sight and if the
Blueshirts continue to build on their momentum, they should be able to pick up
their third win in a row.

- Wojtek Wolski could return to the lineup for New York, but
Mike Sauer is still a few days away.

- Former Rangers’ prospect Corey Potter will be in the lineup
for Edmonton.